Bloomberg: Peacekeeping forces in Ukraine will include not only ground troops.

Negotiations on the details of military plans for the peacekeeping mission in Ukraine

According to Bloomberg, Western allies have begun negotiations to detail military plans for an Anglo-French peacekeeping mission in Ukraine, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's refusal of a full ceasefire.

On Thursday, a second meeting of military leaders took place in London to discuss the operational details of the so-called 'volunteers coalition'. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who joined the meeting, stated that the goal of the discussions is to turn the 'political concept into military plans' that can be implemented on the ground.

'We do not know if an agreement will be reached – I certainly hope it will – but if an agreement is made, it is extremely important that we can act immediately,' emphasized Starmer in a comment to journalists.

About 30 mostly European countries have offered their contributions in the form of troops, aviation, naval vessels, intelligence data, or funding for the peacekeeping forces. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan are also participating in the negotiations.

The current meeting focuses on specific operational planning, while last week's discussion in Paris was dedicated to defining contributions from each participating country.

UK Defence Minister Luke Pollard reported that discussions are centered on the placement of certain assets, such as Typhoon aircraft – where they will be based, how they can be refueled and maintained, and how they integrate with resources offered by other allies.

'We want the volunteers coalition to be a reliable force that will allow Ukraine to enjoy lasting peace, help Ukraine recover and rearm, and deter Russia from thinking that they can recover and start again by themselves,' Pollard stated in an interview with the BBC.

European countries are eager to be well-prepared for the possibility of a broader ceasefire after the White House stated this week that efforts in this direction will continue 'immediately' with further negotiations in the Middle East.

Although Putin this week agreed with US President Trump to limit attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, he rejected calls for a full ceasefire, demanding that the US and other countries stop supplying weapons and intelligence to Ukraine. The Russian side stated that it will never accept NATO troops in Ukraine.

At the meeting, military planners are also discussing how to fill existing deployments if assets or troops are moved to Ukraine so that NATO's eastern flank does not remain unprotected.

Starmer's visit to Barrow-in-Furness, where he laid the keel for the first next-generation nuclear-armed submarine, is part of the British Labour government's efforts to emphasize the renewed importance it places on defense in light of the threat posed by Russia, as well as increased concerns about waning support from the US for traditional allies during Trump's presidency.

Last month, the British Prime Minister cut the foreign aid budget to increase defense spending to 2.5% of economic output.